Philosophy of Science
PHIL 352, Section 1
Spring 2005
TuTh 2:00-3:15, DuSable 474
Teaching Assistant: Peter Nichols
Office address and phone: DuSable 146, 753-0418
Office hours: W 1:00-3:00
E-Mail: petenich76@yahoo.com
Course Description:
An historical survey of investigations into problems concerning the nature of scientific knowledge, the nature of the justification of theories in the natural sciences, the social dimensions of science and how they impact the nature and content of scientific investigations, and whether the history of natural science represents progress toward "the Truth about Reality" (and what that might mean, anyway).
Student Learning Objectives and General Education Goals:
This is a General Education course, and as such its learning objectives strive to meet goals of the General Education Program. The table below indicates what this course aims to teach you (Student Learning Objectives), which General Education goals these objectives strive to meet (General Education Goals), and how your progress toward achieving the Student Learning Objectives will be measured (Assessment Tools).
| Student Learning Objectives |
General Education Goals |
Assessment Tools |
Students develop critical and abstract thinking skills, including:
- the ability to read and understand complex philosophical views;
- the ability to understand logical relationships among competing philosophical views;
- the ability to identify, analyze, and critically evaluate the arguments presented in support of philosophical views;
- the ability to formulate and critically evaluate their own views.
|
Students communicate clearly in written English, demonstrating their ability to comprehend, analyze, and interrogate critically. |
- Evaluation of performance in discussion and question-and-answer throughout the course of the semester. Particular attention is paid to improved performance in the ability to interrogate critically and the ability to critically analyze philosophical views and arguments.
- Evaluation of performance on writing assignments and examinations. Particular attention is paid to improvement (via responsiveness to critical feedback) in the ability to critically analyze philosophical views and arguments in writing, the ability to formulate arguments in writing, and the ability to anticipate and respond to objections to those arguments in writing.
|
| The primary objective is for students to develop a critical understanding of competing theories regarding the nature of scientific methods and theories, thus developing a deeper theoretical understanding of scientific methods and theories, which fosters a more sophisticated ability to use and interpret scientific methods and theories. |
Students demonstrate an ability to use scientific methods and theories to understand social and natural science phenomena. |
- Pre-post essay assignment. Particular attention is paid to the development of a more nuanced and less clichéd understanding of scientific method.
- Evaluation of performance on examinations. Particular attention is paid to the accuracy of written statements about the content of the philosophical theories studied.
|
Students develop an understanding of:
- the historical development of philosophy of science and how contemporary debates in philosophy of science developed out of, and were conditioned by, that history;
- the historical development of science and how that historical development can support, or fail to support, different theories of the nature of scientific method.
|
Students demonstrate an understanding of the historical development of culture and the relations of such development to the present. |
- Evaluation of performance on examinations.
- Evaluation of performance on writing assignments. Particular attention is paid to the accuracy of written statements about the history of science and the historical development of the philosophical theories studied.
|
Students develop an understanding of:
- the relation between deduction and induction and their roles in scientific reasoning and in the confirmation of scientific theories;
- how philosophical theories about the nature of scientific method can inform scientific practice;
- how different philosophical theories about the nature of scientific knowledge can affect the interpretation of scientific theories and our understanding of their status as knowledge claims;
- how the history of science can affect the evaluation of competing philosophical theories regarding scientific knowledge and method.
|
Students develop an understanding of the interrelatedness of various disciplines by integrating knowledge from several disciplines and applying that knowledge to an understanding of important problems and issues. |
- Evaluation of performance on examinations.
- Evaluation of performance on writing assignments. Particular attention is paid to improved ability to integrate theories from different fields and to the accuracy of written statements about the content of the philosophical theories studied.
|
Students develop an understanding of the social dimensions of science, including:
- how unexamined, and possibly biased, presuppositions about women and minorities can potentially affect the content of scientific theories;
- how social and political factors can potentially influence the acceptance of theories by groups of scientists;
- how the degree of epistemic authority invested in science can potentially affect science education.
|
Students develop social responsibility and preparation for citizenship through global awareness, environmental sensitivity, and an appreciation of cultural diversity. |
- Evaluation of performance on examinations.
- Evaluation of performance on writing assignments. Particular attention is paid to the accuracy of written statements about the content of the philosophical theories studied.
|
Course Requirements:
- The Reading Requirement: Each student is required to complete all readings prior to the class period for which they are assigned.
- The Participation Requirement: Each student is required to participate in, and contribute to, class discussion, including student-led discussions as indicated in the course schedule (below) and announced by the instructor. Participation in discussion will constitute approximately 20% of the final grade. (N.B. Failure to attend class and failure to do the assigned readings constitute failure to participate.)
- The Exam Requirements: Three in-class exams (see course schedule below). The two highest exam scoress will each constitute approximately 25% of the final grade, and the lowest exam score will be dropped.
- The Essay Requirements:
- One short pre-essay addressing the question, "What is science?" This essay will be written in class on Tuesday, January 18, and it will count toward the participation requirement.
- One 8-10 page post-essay again addressing the question, "What is science?" This essay will be due at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 6, and it will constitute approximately 30% of the final grade.
Plagiarism Statement: "The attempt of any student to present as his or her own work that which he or she has not produced is regarded by the faculty and administration as a serious offense. Students are considered to have cheated if they copy the work of another during an examination or turn in a paper or an assignment written, in whole or in part, by someone else. Students are guilty of plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy material from books, magazines, or other sources or if they paraphrase ideas from such sources without acknowledging them. Students guilty of, or assisting others in, either cheating or plagiarism on an assignment, quiz, or examination may receive a grade of F for the course involved and may be suspended or dismissed from the university." Northern Illinois University Undergraduate Catalog.
Required Texts:
Thomas Kuhn, The Copernican Revolution
Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (third edition)
Larry Laudan, Science and Relativism
Articles and book chapters on Electronic Reserve
Course Schedule
(click here for a printable schedule):
Assigned readings are to be completed for the date indicated, not for the following class period. Dates are links to password-protected lecture notes for that day's class.
| Tu 1-18 |
Introduction (no reading) |
Naive Inductivism
Logical Empiricism
| Tu 1-25 |
A. J. Ayer, "The Function of Philosophy," "The A Priori," and "The Verifiability Criterion" (pp. 1-11). Excerpts from A. J. Ayer, Language, Truth and Logic (2nd ed.), New York: Dover, 1952. |
| Th 1-27 |
Carl Hempel, excerpts from Philosophy of Natural Science, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1966; A. J. Ayer, "Truth and Probability" (pp. 11-14). Excerpts from A. J. Ayer, Language, Truth and Logic (2nd ed.), New York: Dover, 1952. |
| Tu 2-1 |
A. J. Ayer, "The Verifiability Criterion Revisited" (pp. 14-15). Excerpts from A. J. Ayer, Language, Truth and Logic (2nd ed.), New York: Dover, 1952. |
Falsificationism
Conventionalism
Scientific Revolutions
| Tu 2-22 |
Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Preface and chaps. I-II; The Copernican Revolution, chap. 1 and chap. 2 (pp. 45-59) |
| Th 2-24 |
Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, chaps. III-V and Postscript, sections 1-3; The Copernican Revolution, chap. 2 (pp. 59-77) and chap. 3 |
| Tu 3-1 |
Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, chaps. VI-VIII; The Copernican Revolution, chap. 4 and chap. 5 (pp. 134-144) |
| Th 3-3 |
Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, chaps. IX-X and Postscript, section 4; The Copernican Revolution, chap. 5 (pp. 144-184) |
| Tu 3-8 |
Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, chaps. XI-XIII and Postscript, sections 5-7; The Copernican Revolution, chap. 6 |
Method, Rationality, and Progress
| Th 3-10 |
Karl Popper, "The Rationality of Scientific Revolutions." In Janet A. Kourany (ed.), Scientific Knowledge: Basic Issues in the Philosophy of Science, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1987 (pp. 235-252). |
| Tu 3-15 |
NO CLASS |
| Th 3-17 |
NO CLASS |
| Tu 3-22 |
Imre Lakatos, "History of Science and Its Rational Reconstructions." Excerpts from Ian Hacking (ed.), Scientific Revolutions, New York: Oxford University Press, 1981 (pp. 107-127). |
| Th 3-24 |
Larry Laudan, "Dissecting the Holist Picture of Scientific Change." In Janet A. Kourany (ed.), Scientific Knowledge: Basic Issues in the Philosophy of Science, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1987 (pp. 276-282); and "A Problem Solving Approach to Scientific Progress." In Ian Hacking (ed.), Scientific Revolutions, New York: Oxford University Press, 1981 (pp. 144-155). |
| Tu 3-29 |
Discussion: Paul Feyerabend, "How to Defend Society Against Science." In Ian Hacking (ed.), Scientific Revolutions, New York: Oxford University Press, 1981 (pp. 156-167). |
| Th 3-31 |
Open Discussion |
| Tu 4-5 |
EXAM |
Science as Social Knowledge
Scientific Realism
| Th 4-14 |
Karl Popper, "Three Views Concerning Human Knowledge." In Karl R. Popper, Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge, New York: Routeldge, 1989 (pp. 97-119). |
| Tu 4-19 |
Bas van Fraassen, "Arguments Concerning Scientific Realism." In Janet A. Kourany (ed.), Scientific Knowledge: Basic Issues in the Philosophy of Science, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1987 (pp. 343-358). |
| Th 4-21 |
Discussion: Larry Laudan, Science and Relativism, chap. 1 |
| Tu 4-26 |
Discussion: Larry Laudan, Science and Relativism, chaps. 2-3 |
| Th 4-28 |
Discussion: Larry Laudan, Science and Relativism, chaps. 4-5 |
| Tu 5-3 |
Discussion: Larry Laudan, Science and Relativism, chap. 6 |
| Th 5-5 |
Arthur Fine, "And Not Anti-Realism Either," Nous 18 (1984), pp. 51-65. |
| Tu 5-10 |
EXAM (2:00-3:50 p.m.) |
Links to Relevant Sites:
Grading "Rubric" for Final Essay
Check out the "Citation and ref details" for MLA or APA Style at the site for "The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing"
Tips for Writing a Philosophy Essay
NIU Writing Center
Guidelines for Non-Sexist Use of Language
The Elements of Style (general guide for essay writing)
Bibliography and Reference Styles
Electronic Citation Style Manuals
"On Being a Scientist" (published by the National Academy of Sciences)
